A large car truck carrier was ordered to leave New Zealand (NZ) after biosecurity officers found 3 live and 39 dead brown marmorated stink bugs and 69 other dead regulated stink bugs on board shortly after arriving in Auckland. The vessel, which was carrying a range of vehicles from Europe and the United States, left and would have to be treated offshore. If it is permitted to return, it will undergo another round of intensive inspection prior to discharging.

Stink bugs are a serious pest and can pose a real threat to the NZ's agriculture and horticulture industries as well as being a social nuisance. Hence NZ biosecurity officers are enforcing strict requirements to ensure that these pests stop at the border before getting into NZ.

In February, NZ Biosecurity authorities turned around 4 bulk carriers arriving from Japan due to stink bug contamination, but the large car truck carrier was the first ordered to leave New Zealand after the commencement of the 2018/19 stink bug season in September..

Minister for Primary Industries (MPI), the lead agency for bioscecurity enforcement and providing inspectors at the border for inspection, have added additional requirements,for example, uncontainerised vehicles and machinery to be assessed as compliant before they are allowed to be discharged. MPI no longer directs contaminated ships to undergo fogging with insecticide in NZ.